


There's No Time

by hmw95



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety Disorder, Best Friends, Character Death, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, M/M, Major Character Injury, Serial Killers, Superpowers, There's No Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14281065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmw95/pseuds/hmw95
Summary: Sean has a special ability- he can see how much time a person has left in their life. He's ready to live with his curse alone, until he meets a man named Mark who changes his life. Can Sean learn to use his ability for the greater good, or will he always live in fear?





	There's No Time

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic is a line from the song "Hurry, Hurry" by Air Traffic Controller. It's definitely a recommended listen for this piece of work. Mind the tags, for there are some mentions of anxiety and past self-harm/suicide attempts. Otherwise, hope you enjoy!

Sean nursed his coffee to him, taking a quick sip before he continued to type on his laptop in the crowded café. It was a normal Tuesday for him; sitting back and filling his veins with caffeine as he attempted to get some type of work done on his article. He was still gathering his sources. It was tiring, mentally. 

 

Despite his exhaustion, he made his best attempt at not making eye contact with the people in his peripheral view. It just caused unnecessary stress for him, really. His family, knowing all of his problems, still attempted to accuse him of just having social anxiety. 

 

He sighed, feeling anxiety when someone bumped into the table and mumbled out an apology. He knew he seemed like a jerk, but he couldn’t look at them. He just couldn’t. Maybe his family was slightly right about the social anxiety. 

 

Still- he had other issues contributing to it. He thought back to the barista when he ordered. He was lucky that she was the nice one. She didn’t seem to mind his flickering eye contact back and forth from her face to elsewhere. It also helped that her numbers still were counting decades down.

 

That was his issue, really. Ever since Sean was a small child, he saw numbers above people’s heads. He didn’t know what they meant until he was ten. His friend’s dad picked him up from school, and his number was just hours away from hitting zero. He told his friend, but his friend didn’t think anything of it. Just another weird quirk of his pal from school. 

 

Then Sean’s friend didn’t come to school the next day. His father had a heart attack just after dinner the night before. He didn’t make it.

 

It was fairly easy to tell what the numbers meant after that. His friend returned to school, angry with Sean. Shoved him in the hall. Asked him how he knew. Sean could only shake his head. The person he thought was his friend then proceeded to grow frustrated with his response, until fists flew. 

 

Sean came home with a black eye. 

 

The bullying became unrelenting; there wasn’t a day that the other kids picked on him for being different. For “killing” his former friend’s father. 

 

Their town was small enough that the torment began to follow his parents. They were still in disbelief over this claim of Sean’s ability. The McLoughlins were mostly shunned everywhere in their neighborhood, and Sean’s father began to consider moving across town. That is until they reached the holidays and visited Sean’s grandparents. Sean’s grandmother was always so frail, but so kind.

 

He saw her numbers. It was only weeks away. He counted on the calendar. The countdown would end at the end of January. He tried to tell his parents but they would just tell him to hush. He told his grandmother, who only gave him a sad smile and told him that she loved him no matter what it meant.

 

She passed away on the twenty-seventh of January. 

 

It was only then that his parents realized just what their son could do. It made them fearful- what numbers was he seeing over their heads? What caused it? 

 

It seemed more like a curse than anything. Sean’s mom called her sister, who was living in America. She begged her to take her son, knowing she couldn’t treat him the same as his siblings after what happened. She took him in with open arms.

 

He didn’t really understand what was happening at first- suddenly everything he owned was in a few suitcases and he was on a plane headed to California. To the large house his rich aunt owned. He didn’t realize how final it was until he sat in the warm house and asked his Aunt Alma when his parents were coming. She only frowned and put his dinner together.

 

He realized that the numbers  _ were _ a curse. He was doomed to see everyone’s countdown, and it was a constant source of anxiety for him. He became the weird irish kid in black that wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone, even the teachers. He managed to graduate despite it all, though he didn’t attend the graduation ceremony. He just accepted his diploma and signed up for online courses at the college. 

 

He knew he wanted to write for years, and with his anxiety, it seemed like the best job to do without having to have too much face-to-face interaction. He had scholarships from his grades in high school, and it didn’t take long for him to earn his degree. His aunt was happy to help him if it meant his future success. Shortly after he finished up in school, he applied and got American citizenship so he could stay without requiring a work or school visa. 

 

He got by on freelance work ever since. He made enough to move out into his own apartment, still continuing to visit his aunt whenever possible. She didn’t care about the numbers. It was a relief to him. He hadn’t looked at her numbers, in fear of losing his closest family member. 

 

Then she was sick. His aunt told him that it wasn’t going to take her from him, that she could beat what she had. He finally looked at her numbers; she had eight months. He remembered crying for days over it.

 

She left everything to him after she passed. Her husband had passed away when Sean was still an infant, and she never remarried. They never had kids. He was the closest thing she had ever had to a son. He received a large amount of money, her house, and a few vacation homes she had owned as well. 

 

He briefly considered moving into the big, empty house, only to realize how much it hurt him. To see everything he had lost. He sold it, along with a few of her other properties. He locked away the money in his bank account, rarely touching it.

 

He moved into a nicer apartment, more like a condo. It had a view overlooking the sprawling hills of Los Angeles. He liked to go out at night and look at the stars. He wondered if he was always meant to live his life in loneliness. He wondered why he was cursed with the numbers. He was sure the universe had a purpose behind it, but he just didn’t know what. 

 

He spent most days in his home, playing games on his computer. At least when he talked to his gaming friends, they didn’t have numbers looming over their heads like everyone in real life. 

 

He still worked. With his inheritance and how little he actually spent, he could probably get away with not doing it. But he liked making himself busy. It kept him from getting too far into his own head. 

 

He made sure to go out and get coffee every Tuesday and Thursday. He worked during those times, and it made him get out of his comfort zone. Even if most of the time, that only meant he said a few words to a kind barista named Kathryn. 

 

Though, the outside word was unpredictable. It scared Sean a good deal of the time- he didn’t know what he was going to see. If he was going to see a beautiful family of four walk in the door, looking happy and healthy as can be, with a four-year-old girl that had only days to live. He didn’t like looking over a stranger’s head and knowing their fate. He knew it would stick with him for his entire life, this random person’s countdown, and it was sometimes too much for him.

 

But getting out… It was good for his mental health. He knew he would eventually go mad if he were to lock himself in his house like he wanted to some days. 

 

He was having a good day. Kathryn smiled when he glanced over at her for a second. Her sixty three years shined back at him. 

 

She was a beautiful girl. It was mostly her personality though- she was always kind, no matter how off-putting he knew his ticks could get at times. Of course, he never considered dating before. He came with  _ a lot _ of baggage. He was sure he was meant to live life alone, watching everyone’s numbers flicker at him from a distance. 

 

Sometimes, the universe has other plans. 

 

He packed his laptop up, tossing his cup into the bin as he passed by. He checked his watch, distracted as he turned toward the direction of the exit. 

 

He hit something  _ very _ solid at the movement. The other person let out a little curse as he dropped his own trash and almost fell to the ground with it. 

 

Sean knew he couldn’t be absolutely rude and walk out after that kind of incident, and helped pick up his garbage. It was only a cup and some napkins, but still.

 

“I am  _ so  _ sorry.” He apologized, his eye contact wavering. He didn’t want to see his numbers. 

 

“No, no, you’re fine, man! It’s not your fault that I am so clumsy.” The voice was very deep and very clear. Sean gulped. The voice radiated a friendly warmth, and if he weren’t cursed, he might’ve actually basked in it a bit. He suddenly became aware that his eyes were looking down, toward this stranger’s chest and… Other things. 

 

“Anyways, I… I better get going.” Sean didn’t make eye contact. He knew his face was beat red in embarrassment. His hands were shaking. He didn’t expect for a hand to reach out and touch his arm. He jumped, startled. Other than the brushing of fingers when he took his coffee twice a week, or at the grocery store, he hadn’t felt another person’s touch in  _ years. _

 

“Whoa, are you okay?” The voice was so comforting. Sean didn’t mean to do it, really. But he needed a face to match with the comforting voice. He tried to reason with himself that he would just glance- not even bother seeing the numbers he knew would be above this man’s head. But his brain never would allow it. 

 

He was such an idiot. 

 

The man was a mixture of races, one being obviously of asian descent. He had black hair framing a long face, and glasses surrounding warm brown eyes. His eyes just  _ had  _ to catch his numbers above his head. His eyes widened in fear. 

 

Zero.  _ Zero. _

 

-

 

In his fear, Sean almost fell over in his rush to run out the door. It was his biggest fear; to watch someone’s numbers run out in front of him. He wasn’t going to live it with some oddly comforting man in his favorite coffee shop. He didn’t even look behind him to see the results. He just  _ ran _ .

 

He didn’t stop and try to calm down until he realized that he was in his car and already halfway home. He had to take deep breaths to calm down. 

 

It took a long time to wind down once he arrived at his home. He ended up having a fairly large anxiety attack, curled up in bed. He forced himself out of bed early in the morning to take a quick shower. He grimaced at his face in the mirror. He looked nearly dead. The thought made his mind race once more.

 

That poor man. He wondered what ended up doing him in. He looked so healthy and kind. Such a warm person. It radiated off of him. It could’ve been an undiagnosed aneurysm. It happened with people his age. The guy couldn’t have been much older than him. Maybe he had a stroke.  _ Maybe _ …

 

He sighed. It wasn’t healthy for him to go down that train of thought. That poor,  _ poor _ man. He didn’t know why, but the man just seemed…  _ Different _ . He seemed kind. He seemed genuine. A strange part of his heart hurt for this stranger. 

 

He felt well and truly cursed. It wasn’t fair.

 

He found himself curled up in bed for days afterward, his anxiety crippling him. He didn’t make it to his Thursday coffee time, and he didn’t really leave his bed except for necessities until Saturday. He forced himself to finish his work project and submit it, before he went back to bed. 

 

On Sunday he found himself online playing games. He always used them to keep his mind off of everything- to escape. It was a perfect time to do so. He could feel a sense of calm that he didn’t have since meeting that poor man in the coffee shop. 

 

Then Tuesday came. Part of him just didn’t want to go back. Part of him was ready to just stay home. Part of him was content really  _ never  _ going back. Unfortunately, he knew what would be best. He couldn’t hide forever. 

 

When he pulled into the lot on that Tuesday, it was sunny and beautiful. He had to calm his breathing. He could do it. He knew he could. He threw his bag onto his shoulder and entered the shop. Everything seemed normal. Everything seemed fine. He didn’t care look at anyone’s face.

 

Then there was Kathryn. Beautiful and kind Kathryn. He forced himself to look at her number, her comforting sixty-three years. He felt a sense of calm pass over him. She had a long, long life ahead of her. It was okay. 

 

“I missed your face on Thursday. I hope everything is alright.” Kathryn always brought a smile to his face. It was sad that his closest friend was his barista that he saw twice a week and only made small talk to. 

  
“Everything’s okay… I… I just wasn’t feeling too well.” He knew he looked like hell too. She just offered a smile. It was contagious. 

 

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better. Have a good day, Sean!” 

 

He made his way to his usual table, in his seat facing toward the wall. He pulled out his laptop and got to work. It was easy to lose himself in it. 

 

He didn’t know why he was so worried about coming back. As long as no one burst into his bubble, as long as he didn’t look at the numbers blinking above anyone’s heads, he would be fine. 

 

He managed to get comfortable enough that he completely lost track of time. It wasn’t like he really had a timetable that required him to be anywhere, but he still liked to limit his time outside of his house. He shook his head at that thought. He was such a hermit. He began to pack up his things. He was gathering his trash when a body came up to the table.

 

“Oh hey, it’s you again!” A deep, warm voice spoke. Sean froze up completely. 

 

That voice was impossible. There was no way he could be here. 

 

Despite his better judgement, he looked right at the man’s long face. At the  _ goddamn zero _ above his head.  _ How _ ? 

 

His face must’ve shown his surprise that was teetering into fear. The man furrowed his brows. 

 

“You’re… You’re not going to run away again, are you?” Sean couldn’t even find it in himself to react to the question. He was still staring at the zero. It didn’t make sense. He was alive.  _ Sean mourned him _ . How was it even possible? “Hey… Are you okay?” The irish man finally managed a nod. “Look… I don’t know what exactly was going on last week, but, um… I’m sorry for whatever. You looked like I scared the shit out of you.” Sean shook his head.

 

“I… No, I’m sorry.” Out of habit, his eyes wavered from the man’s face. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like a monster. I just…” He could see the man frown out of the corner of his eye. “I have issues with people, mostly.” The frown turned into a small smile. 

 

“Join the club, man.” Sean huffed out a laugh. This guy had no idea. 

 

“No… It’s uh…” He didn’t really have a better word for it. “It’s an anxiety thing. I’m usually only here to force myself out of my house so I’m not a full time hermit.” The man’s mouth, still in Sean’s field of view, rounded out to almost form an ‘oh’.

 

“That… That makes a lot more sense. An agoraphobia thing.” Sean nodded, still not maintaining any sort of eye contact. “Well, still… Sorry I spooked you. I’m Mark, by the way.” 

 

“Uhm… Sean. Sean’s my name. I sometimes go by Jack, though.” He could sense the confusion on the man’s face. “It’s an irish thing.” Why did he tell this man that? No one had called him that in a  _ long  _ time. Mark gave a small smile.

 

“Well… I’m glad we’re meeting under better circumstances this time, Sean.” He paused. “Anyways, it looks like you were about to get out of here, so I’ll leave you to it. See you around.” With a wave, the enigma that was Mark was gone.

 

Sean felt robotic in his movements as he threw away his trash and left the shop. He got into his car and had to take some deep breaths. 

 

He hadn’t had a conversation with someone other than the small talk he had with Kathryn since… Since his aunt Alma passed on. And it was with Mark- the strange man with a zero above his head. 

 

Sean didn’t understand it. How could Mark possibly have a zero? He should be dead. Everyone else who ever had zeroes did. 

 

On Thursday, he arrived back at the coffee shop. He knew he had only a slim chance of seeing Mark again, but for some reason, he kept glancing around. He saw varying numbers, but made sure not to focus on faces unless he saw that  _ zero _ . But nothing.

 

He sighed, pulling out his computer and getting to work. He had barely gotten a paragraph in, when he was startled by a person coming up to the table. A gentle hand was laid on the table.

 

“Hey, Sean. You mind if I grab a seat here? The place is packed.” Sean could tell just by listening to the bustle around him that Mark wasn’t wrong. Panic must’ve shown on his face, because Mark suddenly began to backtrack. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I forgot about your… Anxiety stuff. I’ll just…” 

 

“G-go ahead.” Sean didn’t know why he spoke up. The other man was ready to leave. He could’ve easily let him. Instead, Mark was setting his book bag down in the chair across from him.

 

“Are you sure?” The zero seemed to glare at him. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable…” Sean shook his head.

 

“I’m just working. You’re fine.” Mark nodded, placing his own laptop on the table. Sean froze in his typing. He was hyper aware of the man across the table. The intense focus in his brown eyes, the way he would occasionally set his chin in his hand in his concentration. It was awkward; Sean would occasionally meet eyes with him. Mark must’ve known he was watching him. Sean would go back to work at those moments in a panic. Though, he wondered if he was as much of a mystery to the other man as Mark was to him. 

 

He felt Mark’s eyes on him as well when he wasn’t looking. It was an interesting work day, for sure. They didn’t speak to one another, really. Just typed and occasionally watched one another. Then Sean finished his coffee and bid farewell to Mark with a small wave. The brown eyed man just waved back with a small smile, continuing to work.

 

Sean went home and was surprised to discover he felt a little lonely at his dinner table. Interesting.

 

-

 

It became a  _ thing _ . Sean always got to the shop first, made small talk with Kathryn, and would get going. Then Mark always seemed to show up. He would always ask if he could join him. For some reason, Sean always said  _ yes _ . The other man would offer a warm smile and get to work. Then the awkward glancing would occur. 

 

About two weeks in, Mark took a sip of his coffee and outright  _ stared  _ at Sean. They met eyes and Mark just didn’t stop. He set his coffee down and leaned back in his seat.

 

“What do you do?” He asked. 

  
“What do you mean?” Sean responded. 

 

“Like… You said you come here and work. What do you do for work?” The irish man’s lips rounded out to an ‘oh’. The other man wanted to get to know him. Why did he want to get to know  _ him _ ?

 

“I do freelance writing. Mostly articles, op-ed’s, and whatnot.” Out of habit, Sean wasn’t meeting his eyes. Mark hummed to himself. “What do you do?” He was honestly surprised that he even continued the conversation. It was out of character for him.

 

“Embarrassingly enough, I am a blogger.” Mark huffed a laugh. “I post about anything and everything, vlogs too. Mostly food and gaming. It’s not much, but it gets me by. Sponsors are my friends.” 

 

“Gaming?” Then it clicked. The two were bouncing off one another. It was the first full blown, face-to-face conversation Sean had had in  _ years _ . He wondered if Mark even realized that fact. They even went above Sean’s allotted coffee time, but he didn’t care. He was having a  _ good time _ . Something he hadn’t had in what seemed like forever.  

 

This time, he was saying goodbye to Mark from the parking lot and getting into his car. He was  _ smiling _ . It was a strange experience, indeed.

 

Suddenly, he wasn’t just getting out his computer to work anymore. He was sitting at a table, having coffee and a chat. Mark would arrive a few minutes after him, and give him a warm greeting. The two would chat, at times, for almost two hours. 

 

Kathryn noticed, for sure. She would smile when he ordered his coffee and ask him, “You meeting with your friend today?” She always seemed to be so understanding of his anxieties. She seemed so happy for him to have a  _ friend _ . It was weird saying that.

 

Mark sat across from him and the two began to chat. Sean had noticed that his eye contact was getting better with his new friend. What was there to fear, after all? The zero blinking above his head? Ignorance was  _ bliss _ . He had no idea what Mark’s number was, and it was just so satisfying not to have to worry. 

 

“Would you want to play online with me later? You don’t have to if you don’t want to… I just figured…” Mark trailed off, rubbing his hands along the table. He often did it when he didn’t seem so confident in the conversation. It seemed to be a nervous tick. Sean wondered if Mark had his own anxiety to deal with. 

 

“No, no. I would  _ love  _ to.” He felt a warm flush to his pale skin. He remembered how he sometimes got while gaming. “Though, um… I’m a bit different when I’m online.” Mark smiled.

 

“Aren’t we all?” Sean shook his head.

 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He chuckled. “So what time did you want to do it?” 

 

“I’m not sure yet. Later on tonight, more than likely. We should probably exchange numbers so I can text you when I’m ready to go.” Sean felt panic rise in his throat. He realized that he had never done anything online with people he actually knew in real life. It hit him all at once. It must’ve shown on his face because Mark’s smile fell and his hands went over the tabletop again. “I’m sorry, we could just…” Sean shook his head.

 

“No, no… I’m just… New to all of this. I don’t… I don’t really talk to anyone. So this is new.” Sean felt a little raw at that moment.

 

“No one?” Mark’s voice was quiet. The blue-eyed man shook his head. 

 

“I don’t have any family around here, and my…  _ Issues _ make it hard for me to have friends. So… All of  _ this _ ,” He motioned his hands between the two of them, “Is completely new to me. I’ve never… I’ve never had a friend before.” Mark’s eyes went soft for a moment. 

 

“Well, I’m glad I could help with that. I don’t really have any friends outside of the internet, so this is refreshing.” The two shared a smile.

 

“ _Anyways_ …” Sean handed his phone over to the other man. “Here you go.” Once the two had exchanged numbers, it was about time for them to get going. Once Sean was in his car, he stared in awe at the contact on his screen. _Mark._   
  
It was the beginning in a series of firsts.

 

The two had a blast gaming together that night. Mark seemed to be in shock at the loud, boisterous man on the other end who seemed like the stark opposite of the quiet, fear-driven individual he had met at the coffee shop. They bounced off of one another and played for  _ hours _ . It was the most fun Sean had had in ages. 

 

The next time they met in person, Mark brought it up. 

 

“You know, I do gaming videos a lot. The viewers would love you.” Sean panicked, of course. Mark backed off, understanding that he might’ve overstepped his bounds. 

 

It wasn’t until they had been playing games together for over a month that Mark brought up that he was going to be filming that night and couldn’t play with him. 

 

“I could… I could join?” Sean was shaking as he made the offer. Mark smiled brighter than he had ever seen. They immediately set about making plans for the night.

 

Of course, he wouldn’t be going over to Mark’s to do it. He was just going to be online, his voice coming over the microphone in the game. But it was still a big deal for him. He asked Mark to call him ‘Jack’ in game. Being the angel that he was, he agreed. 

 

Sean didn’t really change much of what he did or said normally, but after they were done, it came rushing to him. He was going to on the internet for everyone to see… Well,  _ hear. _ It was strange, after hiding himself from the world for so long. 

 

When they met up again the following coffee day, instead of across from him, Mark sat beside him and showed him comments on the video from his laptop. The people  _ loved  _ it. 

 

It then turned into a thing. The two still played games and met up for coffee for fun, but at times, Mark would record their games. Those videos seemed to garnish great amounts of views, and Sean was in shock. A lot of people wanted to see the face of the ‘cute sounding irish guy’. It was two more months since they began the whole thing that Mark did his nervous tick of rubbing his hands over the table. 

 

“So… I have a question. You’re free to say no, because I know about all your stuff. I won’t be offended whatsoever, but…” He took a breath. “Would you ever be interested in recording an actual  _ face _ video with me?” Sean’s eyes went wide. “Like I said, you can say no. It’s just…” He paused. “You’ve become my best friend.” His voice was soft. Sean felt himself melt a bit at that. He had never heard the words spoken about  _ him  _ before. “I want… I want the world to see you like I do.” It went against everything that Sean had been going with since he discovered his ability, but he found himself nodding his head.

 

“...Okay, then. Just… When do we want to do this?” Mark smiled widely. 

 

Sean went over to Mark’s for the first time that night, and the two sat beside one another and played. He tried to act like he normally did when he played, but it was difficult. There was a camera to the side of the monitor, and he could feel the warmth of Mark’s thigh against his. 

 

If he thought playing online with his friend was fun, playing in person was a  _ blast _ . After they finished, Mark hugged him for the very first time. Sean didn’t respond at first, in shock, and Mark looked almost ready to apologize. He returned the favor after, of course. Just another first to add to the list. 

 

The two began to hang out outside of the coffee shop and gaming. The two sometimes would just shoot the breeze at each other’s homes. Sean remembered the awe that Mark had when he first came over. The irishman was fully aware that he was privileged to live the way he did, and it was interesting to see Mark’s reaction. 

 

The two were inseparable, really. As long as Sean didn’t have to interact with anyone outside of Mark in person he was fine being in videos with his best friend as well. Fans of Mark’s blog and videos were big fans of their friendship. Mark was posting more videos with his friend than without. Any time he posted something without ‘Jack’, his fans asked where he was. 

 

Since the whole point of Sean’s visits to the coffee shop was to get out of the house, he found himself just stopping in and getting his coffee to go and meeting up with Mark somewhere. He usually ordered Mark’s as well while he was there. Kathryn was still there nearly every time, and she commented on how much happier he seemed to be. He smiled at her, still seeing her decades to go above her head. It was 62 now, as he and Mark had been spending time together for over a  _ year _ . 

 

Every time he would think he was getting better with his anxiety, he would remember why his fears existed in the first place. He went to go get coffee for him and Mark, and as he was going to his car, he held the door open for an elderly couple who were just entering. The man was helping his wife, who seemed to have a hard time walking. Sean just glanced. He didn’t mean to, really. 

 

Twelve hours. Right above that poor woman’s head. He felt panic begin to bubble up within himself. She was going to pass that night. He barely stopped himself from dropping the coffee as he rushed to get into his car. 

  
His breathing was out of control as he picked up his phone to shakily call Mark.

 

“Hey, are you on your way over? I’m  _ so  _ tired, I could use the caffeine right about now…” He trailed off when he heard his friend’s erratic breathing. “Whoa, what’s going on? Are you okay?” 

 

“I think… I-I think I’m have a panic attack.” He was hyperventilating. “I don’t… M-Mark…” He felt tears come to his eyes. It was embarrassing. He didn’t even know why he called him. It wasn’t his problem to deal with.

 

“Shhh… It’s okay, It’s okay. Take deep breaths with me, Sean. It’s okay.” The deep voice led Sean through a small breathing exercise that actually managed to calm him down slightly. He rubbed at his eyes in annoyance. He knew that Mark could hear that he was crying. “You alright?” Sean gave a verbal affirmative. “Where are you? I’m going to come get you.” 

 

“I’m… I’m still at the coffee shop. I’m in my car.” He informed his friend. 

 

“Even better. I’ll be there in a few, okay? Do you need me to stay on the phone?” He could hear Mark moving.

 

“No, no… I’m fine, I can just drive over, you don’t have to…” Mark cut him off. 

 

“I’m coming, Sean. I’m going to hang up, now, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He knew his friend lived very close by the shop, so it wouldn’t be long until he was greeted by a friendly face. He was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped when he heard a knock on his window. He didn’t know what possessed him, but he found himself stepping out of the car and wrapping his arms around his best friend. 

 

Mark didn’t seem to judge him. He just wrapped his own arms around Sean and let his friend get it out of his system. 

 

Later on, when they found themselves at Mark’s apartment, Sean couldn’t bring himself to record that day. Luckily, his friend was completely understanding. The two played a few games, and Mark made him dinner. The two sat at the table in silence, before the Asian man started. 

 

“If you don’t feel comfortable telling me, you don’t have to… But what happened today? I’ve never… I’ve never seen you get like that.” Sean pushed his food around with his fork.

 

“Mark… I have absolutely horrid anxiety when it comes to people. Not just people I don’t know either. Remember when we first met?” Mark nodded. “Today was… It was similar to that. Not as bad, but… I just can’t handle things sometimes.” He paused. “I’m sorry I ruined our plans for tonight… I just… It’s hard for me to be  _ normal _ .” At the silence, he looked up to meet his friend’s eyes. He looked so  _ sad _ . 

 

“Sean, don’t ever say sorry for something like that. You’re… You’re my best friend. If you  _ ever  _ need anything, even things like today, you call me. Okay?” Sean didn’t respond at first. “ _ Okay _ ?” He finally nodded. “It’s what friends do. I know that if I needed it, you would do the same for me. So just remember that if you  _ ever  _ need me, just give me a call. I’m here for you, Sean.” 

 

The two were closer than ever before after that. Sometimes, after long nights of playing games, the two would even spend the night at each other’s houses. Sean had never had a friend like Mark before. It was eye-opening. He learned so much about his friend, and offered information about himself in return. 

 

Mark told him about his dad. Showed him pictures from his childhood. Mentioned his health issues and close calls throughout his life. Sean found himself a little worried at that one; he couldn’t see Mark’s numbers. He was severely accident prone. He would never be able to tell when an accident was one to really worry about. 

  
Sean found out that he could see a person’s numbers through a photograph. It was an odd experience, indeed. He saw Mark’s father’s numbers above his head, counting down to when he would ultimately leave his son behind from cancer. 

 

Mark was shocked when Sean told him that other than the small talk at his Aunt’s funeral, the irishman hadn’t really spoken to his parents since they shipped him off to live in America. He also told his friend about the merciless bullying he had endured before moving from Ireland. 

 

The two were closer than ever, really. Sean felt bad, really. He knew he was keeping his biggest secret of all from his best friend. Mark had laid everything out in the open, and he was still keeping secrets. 

 

He knew eventually it would come to a head. He just never pictured it happening like  _ that _ .

 

Mark and him were grabbing coffee that day, and actually staying there to drink it. Kathryn greeted him, still just as kind as ever. She happily greeted Mark as well. She was used to seeing the two of them together at that point. 

 

The two of them sat crowded around Mark’s laptop, reading comments on their latest video and bantering back and forth. The two of them had stayed well over the amount of time they thought they were going to spend, and in their rush out the door, Sean found himself bumping into a body at the door. He was surprised to find Kathryn, ready to head home for the day.

 

“Oh, sorry Sean. Have a good day!” She smiled, walking away. It seemed all so  _ normal _ . 

  
And then he looked above her head.

 

_ Five hours _ . Where did her sixty plus years go? He felt his breathing quicken as he found his feet picking up speed. 

 

“Kathryn!” He called out. She had the door open on her car. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked to him. “Is everything okay?” She just smiled.

 

“I’m fine.” She seemed confused, but she didn’t turn off her smile. “I’ve got to head home now, though. See you Thursday!” Then she got into her car, and drove away.

 

He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. There was no way that her number changed, right? He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Mark had joined him until a hand had set itself on his shoulder. He jumped about a foot in the air.

 

“Whoa!” Mark exclaimed. “What’s wrong? You ran right out of there.” Sean just shook his head.

 

“Nothing, I guess. I think I’m just… Seeing things. Let’s get going.” 

 

While the spent the night playing games in Sean’s apartment, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander at times. What if he wasn’t seeing things? What if her numbers had really  _ changed _ ? He couldn’t help but wonder. 

 

Then Thursday came around, and Sean came into the shop by himself to grab coffee and meet up with Mark. There was a different girl at the counter. Not Kathryn. He didn’t want to outright panic, so he found courage in himself to ask.

 

“W-where’s Kathryn?” The girl seemed frazzled, out of sorts. Her eyes were suddenly just so…  _ Sad _ . 

 

“She’s… She’s no longer here. S-sorry.” The girl seemed very upset at the question. 

 

“Sorry… I just…” His anxiety suddenly began to bubble up. Her expression softened at that. 

 

“I know. She had a lot of regulars who loved her. It’s just… Tragic. What happened to her… Was just  _ sick _ .” There was a pause. “Anyways, here’s your coffee. Have a good day, Sean.” His ears perked at what she said. That it was  _ tragic _ . He began the walk to his car and pulled out his phone to look up local news. It wasn’t hard to find it. This time, he couldn’t help but drop his coffee to the ground in shock. 

 

‘ _ Local Barista found Dead in Apparent Homicide _ ’

 

-

 

Sean didn’t end up meeting with Mark that night. In fact, he didn’t for several days. Mark sent him a message, asking if everything was okay. He sent a link to the article. His friend sent his condolences. He knew that Kathryn was Sean’s only source of socialization for a long, long time. He just didn’t know the full of it. 

 

After a week and a half of barely any contact, Mark stopped by Sean’s house. The irishman was a shell. He knew it showed, too. 

 

Mark could probably tell he was hiding something. It was fairly obvious, really. He acted strangely around the girl, and then she is found to be murdered. Sean could only hope that his best friend didn’t think he killed her. 

 

The two tried to play games, but Sean’s heart wasn’t really in it. It was obvious. They recorded one video, but it was enough for him. He pushed Mark away, really. 

 

Why would he want to be friends with Sean, really? Was it pity all along?

 

He was an anxiety driven mess who was cursed. Mark was so  _ good _ . He didn’t want to taint him. He couldn’t even save her. He felt like if he could’ve just  _ stopped her _ … If he had trusted his gut that something was wrong… Kathryn could’ve survived. 

 

He felt that even if he wasn’t the one to commit the murder, he aided in it. His hands were dirty. 

 

He hadn’t seen Mark in over two weeks. It was the longest he had been without his friend in the nearly year and a half that they had been spending time together. He felt  _ lonely _ . Sure, he had been lonely before. He spent a large portion of his life lonely. But what he was feeling without Mark? It was a deeper form of it. It settled into his bones and  _ hurt _ . 

 

He found himself looking up Mark’s video channel. He knew it was stupid to do so. It would cause him pain- after all, he was avoiding Mark for a reason. But he had to.

 

He started at the last video he did with him. Considering there was a video every single day, that day seemed even further away than it felt before. 

 

Sean made the mistake of reading the comments. 

 

_ ‘Is Jack okay?’ _

 

_ ‘What’s wrong with Jack?’ _

 

_ ‘Did you guys fight or something? There’s a lot of tension’ _

 

Then he binged the rest of his videos. Mark looked so… He didn’t know how to explain it. He definitely seemed  _ off  _ in all the videos after. He continued his past mistakes by skimming the comments in each one. His fans noticed it as well.

 

_ ‘Is Mark okay?’ _

 

_ ‘Did something happen between him and Jack? We haven’t seen Jack since that one awkward video…’ _

 

_ ‘Mark and Jack need to make up :(‘ _

 

He knew in the short term it would hurt Mark, but in the long term… It would be worth it. Mark didn’t need him. He would be okay. He just… He needed to have a breather away from the internet for a while.

 

He spent the next week throwing himself into work. He cranked out more articles than he had in the past  _ year _ . He still didn’t feel whole. He knew he wouldn’t again. But it was for the best. He didn’t deserve that happiness. He was cursed. He was destined to live life alone. 

 

Then, he got a text. He was just barely awake. It was after two in the morning. He didn’t know who would’ve been texting him that late, but he checked it anyhow. 

 

_ Mark: I’m sorry _

 

Sean suddenly was completely awake. Where did that come from? He sat still, his heart beating quickly.

 

_ Mark: I just fuck everything up _

 

Suddenly, Sean’s heart was split in two. He didn’t… He couldn’t bear the thought of Mark thinking it was all his fault.

 

_ Mark: I’ll just make it easier and stop here then _

 

Sean felt his heart stop. Mark wouldn’t… 

 

He thought back to Mark’s stories. He knew that the man had dealt with some heavy blows in his life. He knew Mark spent some large periods of his early twenties in and out of the hospital. He knew Mark didn’t have any other friends really… He didn’t know if Mark  _ would…  _ But he sure as hell didn’t want to risk it.

 

Sean’s body was on autopilot. He was throwing his shoes on, grabbing his keys. He was out the door and driving before he even was aware of his own movements. He found himself in front of the apartment door and knocking. The door timidly opened, and he was greeted with a tear-strained Mark. 

 

“Can… Can I come in?” He asked. He hadn’t realized he was crying as well until he heard how choked up his voice was. The other man only stepped aside and let him through. They sat on the couch. 

 

It was silent. It felt like the two of them were the only ones in the world, really. Sean was hyper-aware of every single sniff that came from the other man in the room. Mark broke the silence.

 

“Why are you here, Sean?” His voice sounded so hurt. 

 

“I’m sorry, Mark. I hurt you… I left you behind, and I didn’t even explain anything to you. I just left you to stew in your own self doubt. I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t want things to be like this.” Mark’s eyes lit up with anger. 

 

“And how did you want it to be, then? Did you want me to be  _ okay  _ with you dropping off the face of the planet? Of leaving me to gather the dust? To not think I did something  _ wrong _ ?” He blew up, nearly standing up in his seat. He rubbed at his face. “What the hell is going on, Sean? You’re… You’re my best friend. My  _ only  _ friend. I can’t… I can’t do this without knowing what happened to make you not want me in your life anymore.” 

 

“Look, Mark… It’s better this way…” The other man’s face hardened in fury.

 

“How the hell is it better? For you, maybe…” Sean cut him off.

 

“It’s not better for me, for  _ you _ …” Mark was red in the face at this point.

 

“You don’t get to decide that for me!” He shouted. He knew it was two in the morning, but he was angry enough not to care. “Now cut that ‘it’s better this way’ bullshit! I want a real answer.  _ Why _ ?” 

 

“Everything falls apart when I’m around, Mark. I can’t… I can’t even look people in the eyes without having a fucking panic attack.” He felt himself start. He could only barely contain himself from revealing  _ everything _ . “You… You are so  _ good _ , and I am such a fuck up. I’m meant to be alone. What happened to Kathryn…” Mark cut him off.

 

“What happened to Kathryn had  _ nothing  _ to do with you, you ass!” He was suddenly moving over to Sean, grabbing his arms almost enough to bruise. “Now you listen the  _ fuck  _ up.” Sean gulped. “You are  _ not  _ a fuck up.” Sean felt his eyes tear up at hearing those words come out of his mouth. “I was a shell before I met you, and you… You’ve made me into a person again, Sean.” Mark had tears streaming down his face. “You are my best and only friend, and I  _ need  _ you. I will not  _ fall apart _ . We are better together, not apart, you know?” Sean fought a sob. “If you still want to leave me alone after this, then  _ do it _ . But do it knowing that you are a good person, Sean. I am blessed to have you in my life. I just… I just want you to see that in yourself like I have.” 

 

Mark pulled away, ready to let him think. He wasn’t prepared for Sean to launch himself at him. The Irishman openly sobbed into his chest, gripping onto him for dear life. 

 

“I’m so sorry, Mark.” He cried out. His friend wrapped his arms around him, returning the gesture. He had a face buried into his neck. 

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” 

 

The two spent that night right there, on that couch. They didn’t really fall asleep until dawn already broke through the horizon. In the morning, all their emotions were drained. Mark didn’t bother with making a video really. They spent the day talking things over, less angrily. 

 

“I was worried you were going to do something stupid. I thought… I figured I would explain myself and go on my way. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.” Mark’s eyes were dark at Sean’s words. 

 

“I used to be like that, you know. A couple years ago, and you would’ve probably been right. But… I don’t know. I almost died once, you know. I actually kind of  _ did _ ... I got out of a really bad relationship. Abusive, really. My dad had died, my mom was barely speaking to me, and then all of  _ that  _ happened. I tried to overdose. I was… I was mostly successful, but they resuscitated me. I started my blog shortly after that. I was determined to be better. I think I’ve done a pretty good job, I think.” Mark laid himself bare. Sean felt awful for not telling him the whole truth. His best friend had put himself out there, revealing something like  _ that _ , and he couldn’t even tell him his own big secret. 

 

Mark almost died. If his friend were successful… The past year wouldn’t have happened. He would’ve still been alone. He wondered if any of it had anything to do with Mark’s numbers… Or lack thereof. 

 

After getting some sleep and caught up with one another, they seemed to be right back into it. If Mark noticed Sean was keeping something from him, he definitely didn’t vocalize it.    
  
The two started doing videos together once more, and the response was endlessly positive. 

 

_ ‘I’m so happy you two made up! Xoxo’ _

 

_ ‘Yay! Mark and Jack are happy again!’ _

 

_ ‘Don’t you two ever break up again!’ _

 

Sean didn’t try to dwell on comments too often- he was back with his best friend. Life was good. 

 

-

 

Things don’t stay good forever, unfortunately. It had been nearly three months after Kathryn’s unfortunate passing. There were still no answers as to who did it to her. Sean didn’t like to think about the fact that the person was still out there. 

 

It took a while for them to return to the coffee shop. There was a new barista in Kathryn’s place. Her name was Chelsea. She was nice as well. But Sean feared growing too fond of her. It was proven by what happened to Kathryn that having years above your head didn’t really mean much. This girl had more than forty of them to go. He knew firsthand that that could change in the blink of an eye.

 

Mark and him were enjoying coffee at their usual table, going over ideas for videos later in the week. Sean found himself knocking his drink over and spilling some on himself. 

 

“Shit!” He exclaimed, while Mark cackled beside him. “Be right back, I’ve got to try and wash this shit off.” He tried to make his way to the restroom without looking at any numbers, and managed to bump into a guy by the door. He was watching the counter. Watching the girls. What a pervert. Maybe he was Chelsea’s boyfriend or something. Sean muttered an apology before entering the restroom. 

 

The stain ended up being a lost cause, and he rejoined his friend at the table. Mark was still giggling. 

  
“Won’t you stop making fun of me! Jesus Christ!” He spoke in an exaggerated irish accent. It only proceeded to make his friend laugh harder. They continued on their work for the next hour or so. Though, it turned less into working and more into ‘Mark forces Sean to watch weird internet videos’. The two spent the time laughing and smiling. It was a good time. Once they were ready to leave, Sean peeked over toward the restrooms. He didn’t know why he did it, really. The man was still there. It was strange. He shook the thought as Mark approached him. He stepped forward, knocking right into another body. He was just so damn clumsy that day. “Sorry!” 

 

“Oh, you’re fine!” It was Chelsea. “It was my fault. Have a good day!” She sidestepped him, heading out the door. Out of instinct, he looked at her numbers. It felt like deja-vu. 

 

Eight hours. What the hell?

 

He stepped toward her, his expression obviously showing fear. Mark grabbed his arm.

 

“Whoa, Sean, are you okay? You look terrified.” He pulled his arm away. “Sean?!” He ran out the door. She was already in her car. Shit. She pulled out of the lot. He had no chance. Unless… He began to run toward his car. 

 

Just as he hit the door, ready to swing into action, an arm blocked him. He struggled as hard as he could, but to no avail.

 

“What the hell is going on, Sean?” He tried to push his friend away.

 

“I need to stop her, Mark! Something… Something’s going to happen! I know it!” Mark grabbed him. 

 

“Calm down, man.” He pulled his friend to look him in the eyes. “You need to talk to me. Tell me what is going on  _ right now _ .” A girl’s life was at stake. His eyes drifted to the street. Her car was long gone. He lost her. She was doomed. His hands went up to his hair, pulling it. He fucked up  _ again _ . “Sean?” 

 

“I’ll tell you… But I can’t tell you  _ here _ .” People were beginning to look at them. To them, he was obviously having some sort of meltdown. They were only half wrong, really. Mark glanced over to the other people. 

 

“Fine. We’re getting in the car. But we are  _ not  _ leaving this lot until you tell me what the hell is going on.” He got in. Mark sat beside him in the passenger seat. 

 

Was he really supposed to tell him? It was a secret that no one knew. The only living people who knew were his parents. And they had all but disowned him for it. He could lie. But Mark would know. 

 

“What is it, then?” Mark started to sound upset. “Does this… Does this have to do with… With what you haven’t been telling me?” Sean must’ve looked guilty at that moment. Mark huffed a laugh of disbelief. “You think I didn’t know you didn’t tell the whole truth that night? I’m not dumb, Sean. Something’s going on that you aren’t telling me. Something you probably think you’re protecting me from. So do it. Tell me. And I don’t want any bullshit. I want the truth.” 

 

For the first time in a while, Sean purposefully didn’t meet his eyes. 

 

“You want to know the truth?” He gulped. “When I was a kid, there was a boy in my class. His dad came to pick him up from class, and I saw… I saw a number above his head. I remember as clear as day. Three hours and twelve minutes. Seconds counting away as well. I didn’t… I saw that with everyone else, always different numbers. I told the kid in class. He didn’t care. He thought I was just some silly kid in class. Everyone did.” 

 

He paused. He didn’t dare meet Mark’s eyes. 

 

“His dad died. Three hours and twelve minutes later. From a heart attack.” There wasn’t any turning back from there. “I was able to tell my parents when my grandmother was due to pass on. They didn’t believe me, and then she died to the minute of when I told them it would happen. They shipped me off here afterward. I see numbers above everyone’s heads, Mark.  _ Everyone _ . I know the exact second they are due to die. It’s a goddamn curse. I… I just hid away after my aunt passed away. I didn’t want anyone else to bear the burden of my abilities. And then I meet  _ you. _ ” 

 

Mark was silent. Sean could see out of the corner of his eye that his lips were pursed in thought.

 

“You’re different. God, you’re different.” He didn’t want to share Mark’s number. It didn’t feel right. “And poor Kathryn… One day, she has sixty two years left, and the next she is down to  _ five hours _ . I… I thought something was wrong, but she didn’t say anything when I asked. Then someone fucking  _ kills  _ her. And now… And now poor Chelsea might have the same fate. She had over forty years, and then she’s walking out the door with  _ eight hours _ . She’s going to die, Mark. I thought… I thought I could stop it.” 

 

He suddenly was out there. Everything he had was out on the table. His darkest secret revealed. He finally reached Mark’s eyes. His friend looked troubled. 

 

“Look, Sean… Maybe… Maybe she’ll be okay.” The Irishman felt his heart drop.

 

“You… You don’t believe me.” His voice was just above a whisper. 

 

“I didn’t say that! It’s just…” He tried to defend himself. 

 

“But you don’t! Don’t try and make me feel better, Mark. This is not the time for some…  _ Pity _ thing. You think I’m crazy. That  _ this _ \- The whole reason I have all of my anxiety in the first place… You think I’m making this shit up.” Mark didn’t respond. His eyes were the guilty ones this time. “Fuck you! Get out of my car and go home then. I don’t… I don’t need this!” He sobbed. “I told you! I fuck everything up. I’m fucking cursed. Just… Just leave.” 

 

He pushed his forehead against the steering wheel. He didn’t feel the true pain until he heard the car door open and close. He was alone. 

 

_ Mark left _ . 

 

His heart tore in two. He fucking  _ left _ . He punched the steering wheel with all his might, letting out a small scream. 

 

His mind repeated it over and over.

 

Mark.

 

Left.

 

Once he could calm his breathing, he found himself driving in a rush toward his home. The hurt was just so  _ raw _ . It was nothing like before. He put everything he had out there and it was stomped on. Why? Why did he have to ruin everything he held dear? 

 

His mind wandered that night to dark places it had never really been before. He wondered if the world would be better without him. He wondered if Mark would be better without him, really. Mark did choose this time, after all. 

 

But all those thoughts got him to remember why it all happened in the first place- that girl. Chelsea. She was most likely facing the same fate as poor Kathryn. He saw her number. He was too late to save her. But obviously someone was doing this. A serial killer, perhaps. He realized something very important. 

 

He could see his next victim. He could see the numbers change. 

 

That night, he washed his face. His eyes burned from all the tears he had shed. He looked himself in the eyes in the mirror, careful not to look too high.

 

He had a purpose.

 

-

 

He didn’t fall asleep until very late. He slept through most of the day and spent a large portion of next night trying to come up with some type of  _ plan _ . What was he going to do? He had to find a way to stop things from happening. He just didn’t know where to start. 

 

He was interrupted that night by a knock on the door. He peeked out the peephole to see a familiar face. His heart hurt, but he took a deep breath and opened the door. 

 

“Sean… Can I come in?” His hurt must’ve shown on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t know what to think. I know how I reacted wasn’t appropriate… But… I can’t leave you like this. We can’t keep doing this.” Mark ran a hand through his hair. 

 

“She died, didn’t she?” Sean asked. Mark didn’t meet his eyes. It was enough of an answer. He let the other man through the door. The two didn’t sit down quite yet. “Was it… Was it the same as Kathryn?” 

 

“...Yes.” Mark responded. Sean nodded his head. He thought so. It was hardly a coincidence. 

 

“You hurt me, Mark.” 

 

“I know. I’m sorry. I know that that doesn’t make up for it… But I really am. It’s just so hard to take in. I’ve never…” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never believed in anything like that. You threw me for a loop, and then… I didn’t have any time to take it in, you started… You started just  _ going _ and I didn’t know what to do. I had to leave. I had to take myself out of that situation, and I’m sorry.” Sean felt guilty. He knew he wasn’t completely right to attack Mark on everything… But he was so hurt that he lashed out. 

 

“I’m sorry, Mark… I’ve never…” He paused. “I’ve never told anyone. The only people who knew the full extent were my parents and my aunt. You’re the first person outside of family that I’ve outright told. I felt so… So raw. It made me defensive, and I’m sorry for lashing out at you.” The two stared at one another for a few seconds. “Can I hug you?”

 

Mark stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him. It was comforting. Everything was out in the open. Mark still wanted to be in his life. He was in awe. He didn’t fuck it up. He thought he fucked it up. He buried his face in the other man’s shoulder, feeling his pain and tension drain right out.

 

“What’re we going to do, then?” Mark asked. Sean pulled back.

 

“We?” 

 

“Well, you really think I’m going to let you take on some serial killer on your own?” Mark crossed his arms. “I may not be able to see numbers above people’s heads, but I can definitely team up with the guy who does.” Sean smiled. “So, let’s come up with a plan.” 

 

-

 

The men found themselves staking out the coffee shop. It was the best they could do, really. If they went to the cops, it would just incriminate Sean. They had to try and find the next victim and stop another killing from happening. 

 

After weeks of going every single day, it was growing tiring to not see any results. But they couldn’t stop; if they stopped and someone got hurt, Sean and Mark wouldn’t forgive themselves. 

 

The two were sitting at their regular table, with Sean feeling strange about taking in every single number of the baristas. What normally was a source of anxiety for him was filling him with purpose. Their only lead was that their culprit went after  _ two  _ baristas from this very same shop. 

 

He noticed Mark watching him. 

 

“No changes?” Sean shook his head, leaning back in his seat.

 

“Nothing. Still at twenty five and thirty two.” There were only two workers in the front. He sighed. He noticed Mark’s focus still on him. He knew what was coming. He wondered when it would happen. “Come on, now. What is it?”

  
“Sean…” Mark rubbed his hands over the table. 

 

“You want to know your number, don’t you?” The other man looked guilty. “I wondered when you’d ask. I wouldn’t normally tell someone. It’s bad to do that. Even though it obviously doesn’t matter anymore, seeing that the numbers can change in the blink of an eye.” He took a shaky breath. “Your number scares the hell out of me.” Mark suddenly looked worried. 

 

“What… What do you mean? Do I…” He was pale. Sean gave small smile.

 

“Nope.” He popped the last syllable. “You really want to know why your number scares me?” Mark was quiet, but attentive. “From the moment I met you, your number has been set at  _ zero _ . And I have no fucking clue as to  _ why _ .” 

 

“But…” Sean just shook his head.

 

“I don’t know, man. I looked at you that day I met you and thought you were going to keel over right in front of my eyes.” He explained. Mark’s eyes shined in understanding. 

 

“No wonder you looked so terrified.” His voice was just above a whisper. “Can you see your own?” Sean paused. 

  
“Not really.” He hesitated in his response. Mark didn’t look like he really believed him. Oh well.

 

He didn’t have much time to think about it, because right in front of his eyes the barista’s number changed to three hours. 

 

“Shit.” Mark must’ve followed his eyes.

 

“What is it? Did it change?” Sean nodded. “Which one?” He remembered the two girls’ names. Megan and Ashley. 

 

“Ashley. The one with the black hair. It’s at three hours now.” He began to look around the room. “Who looks out of place?” There were too many people in the building. It was a rush time. He couldn’t tell anyone’s intentions from there. “Shit. There’s too many people.”

 

“I’ll pretend I’m going to the bathroom and take a look around. You keep your eyes on Ashley.” Sean nodded and kept lookout. A few moments went by as the rush began to disperse slightly. Mark came back, shaking his head. “You’re right. There’s too many people. We’ll have to just follow and see what happens.” 

  
Another girl came in to take over the counter. They watched Ashley clock out for the day. Sean grabbed Mark’s arm. 

 

“Let’s go.” The two followed the girl as far back as they could manage. She was walking, which made them even more nervous. It would be face to face, whatever confrontation they were going for. 

 

They hung back, following the girl for  _ blocks _ . She must’ve been walking for at least half an hour. She had to live quite a ways from her place of work. They finally got to a less populated area of town. It was almost a ghost town, it seemed. It was nerve-wracking. They hung back, knowing that this was when their killer would most likely strike. He wouldn’t want witnesses. 

 

Then, a car rumbled it’s way in. They noticed it’s window roll down and Ashley’s head turn toward it. She said something to them. Mark nudged Sean.

 

“I think they just asked her if she needs a ride. She’s saying no. Do you think this is our guy?” Sean was too focused. The person must’ve said something, as the car pulled to a stop. Ashley was stopped, her hands in the air. The person was getting out of their car. 

 

Sean was running toward it, leaving Mark in the dust. He didn’t even pay attention to whether or not Mark was keeping up. He went for it. 

 

Suddenly, he collided with another body. He heard something clatter to the side nearby. He distantly realized it was a knife.  _ Holy shit _ . 

 

The person beneath him wasn’t going to go down easily. There were fists flying, catching Sean in the side. He coughed as they caught him in the ribs. He caught the man’s hands, pulling them to the side. He turned to see Mark, ready to join in.

 

“Get her out of here, Mark!” She looked terrified as Mark led her a decent distance away. He turned back to the man fighting him. The man from the cafe. The same man who he bumped into on the the day Chelsea was killed.  _ Shit _ . “So it’s you, huh? You like hunting down these poor girls and killing them? You sick fuck!” He took in the man’s appearance. He was light skinned, his hair a light brown. His eyes were an angry shade of green. His distraction allowed the man to get a hand free, bringing his fist to Sean, catching him in the eye. “Fuck!” He punched the man back, catching him in the side of his face. Suddenly, the body underneath him was limp. He pulled off, breathing heavily. 

 

“Sean!” Mark was running back, with the girl nowhere in sight. “Are you okay?” The Irishman brought his hand to his eye in pain. 

 

“Fine. Got a hit in, is all.” Mark cradled his friend’s face, turning it to see it already growing purple. “I’m fine, I promise. Is she okay?” The dark-eyed man nodded.

 

“Her house is only a couple doors down. I got her in and told her to call the cops. Are you sure you’re okay?” Sean shook his head in disbelief.

 

“Stop asking me that, man. I’m fine. Just going to be sore.” In their conversation, they hadn’t heard the man behind them get up and rush to his car. Once they heard the engine rumble once more, Sean ran for it, but he was too late. The car peeled out and was gone. “Fuck!” His hands were clenched into fists. “We lost him!” 

 

“It’s okay, Sean.” Mark placed his hands on his friend’s tense shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eyes. “We saved her, okay?  _ You saved her _ . It’s okay.” Sean could feel relief overpowering everything else. He saved her. He fucking saved her. 

 

He saw a dark head of hair poking her head out of a door a few houses down. Mark turned to see her. “It’s okay. He’s gone now.” She slowly crept out from the doorway. Her hands were visibly shaking. Sean glanced up to see thirty two blinking above her head once more. He sighed in relief. It worked. It really worked. 

 

“You guys… You saved me. He was… He was going to hurt me, wasn’t he? He’s the guy who has been hurting the other girls?” Sean turned to look off in the direction the car went. 

 

“I think so.” He spoke. Suddenly a small body collided into his and he had a sobbing girl in his arms. He hugged her back, not really knowing what to do. 

 

“You saved my life… Oh my god!” She cried into his shirt. He looked over her to see Mark watching, his expression looking almost  _ proud. _

 

The cops arrived, and the three of them gave as best of a description as they could. Sean described the man’s appearance and gave as good of a descriptor as he could of the car. 

 

After everything, Mark and he went back to the shop to pick up his car and head home. As soon as they entered the vehicle, he turned to his friend. 

 

“We did it. We fucking did it!” He threw his fists in the air in victory. “I can’t believe it, Mark!” The other man smiled warmly at him. 

 

“I believe it. You’re amazing, Sean, you know that?” The blue eyed man’s face went red. “No, seriously. You keep saying you’re cursed, but does this look like a curse?” He motioned around him. “You saved a girl’s life today. If you didn’t have your ability, she would be dead somewhere. You’re amazing.” Sean couldn’t help it. He reached over and threw his arms over his friend in quick hug. He couldn’t help it. 

 

He was just so  _ happy _ .

 

-

 

Of course, things didn’t just stop there. He was still out there. Sean and Mark found themselves watching the coffee shop. For all they knew, the guy skipped town, but they couldn’t be too sure. He could be anywhere. 

  
Ashley offered a wave to the guys as they entered that day. They had been in every day for over a week since everything. She always tried to comp their drinks, but they always declined. It wasn’t fair to do so. 

 

Of course, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Sean sighed. It was never after three o’clock that any of the girls went, and it was nearly four. Even Ashley had left for the day without incident. The two took it as time to leave. 

 

They decided on heading to Sean’s for the night. They hadn’t spent the nights apart in the past week, really. It was fear of losing one another mostly. 

 

“I thought…” Mark had admitted. “I saw the knife and I thought you were going to die. I was so scared.” Sean smiled. 

  
“I’m fine, aren’t I?” The black eye begged to differ. 

 

The two worked on editing a video they had recorded the day before. It was a gaming one, a horror one. It was a great episode. They had it uploaded by the time it was dark.

 

They settled down for a movie. Mark had his feet kicked up on Sean’s thighs. For some reason he hadn’t minded. The other man seemed to keep glancing at him. He wondered what Mark was thinking about. 

 

Suddenly, he threw his feet off. “I’m going to go grab something to drink. I’ll be right back.” Sean gave a thumbs up. He paused the movie. Then a minute turned into five. He had a bad feeling in his stomach. 

 

“Mark?” He stood, walking toward the kitchen. “...Mark?” He called out once more after receiving silence as his answer. He rushed to the kitchen, in time to see a body on the floor. “What the-” Something hard came down on the back of his skull and everything went black.

 

-

 

Sean felt himself come to, and his head  _ throbbed _ . He groaned. He moved to grab his head, only to find that his hands were bound behind him. He feet to tied as well.  _ Shit _ . He began to struggle. He noticed that he was still in the kitchen. He was in a chair.  _ Shit! _ He heard footsteps enter the room. He saw the knife before he saw the face. 

 

“Well, well, well. Glad you finally decided to wake up. I thought you checked out early. That wouldn’t have been fun.” The voice was empty. It almost sounded evil. The man walked in, obviously the same one that Sean had punched just a week before. “You know, I don’t take kindly to people taking what I want.”

 

“You wanted to kill innocent girls, who sick fucker! Of course I was going to stop you!” Sean spat back. The man scowled. 

 

“That’s the real question though. How did you know?” He placed his knife uncomfortably close to Sean’s neck, trailing the shining blade up his skin until it was over his bruised eye. “You are too observant for your own good, is what you are. Too bad, really. If you stayed out of my business, I wouldn’t have to kill you  _ or  _ your friend.” Sean’s eyes widened. “Don’t you worry, he’s still alive.” He smirked. “Not for long, though.” 

 

“You leave him out of this!” Sean pulled at his bindings. “It was all me! He just tagged along. I don’t care if you kill me, but you leave him out of this!” The man just chuckled. 

 

“But that would destroy the whole point!” He brought the blade down to Sean’s cheek. He began to press harder. He could feel the skin begin to break open and blood begin to flow. “You took what I wanted. It’s only fair I return the favor.” His mouth was right by his ear at this point. “I want you to hear him scream until the very end. Then I will kill you. Only after you’ve lost  _ everything _ .” He pulled away, only to bring the hilt of the knife down over Sean’s temple. The irishman cried out in pain. The man only smiled once more. “See you soon.” 

 

Suddenly, he was watching the man walk down the hall. Mark was most likely in the living room. Sean pulled at his bindings. 

 

“Get back here you sick fuck! You leave him alone!” He shouted in exasperation. He had to think fast. This man wanted to  _ kill Mark _ . “I’ll kill you, you bastard!” He had seen his numbers, though. The sick man had over ten more years left in him. Unless Sean did something, he wasn’t meant to die that night. It meant that Mark was in danger. “Think, Sean.  _ Think _ .” He muttered to himself. He thrashed as much as he could. Then he felt it.

 

The chair was weak. If he were to slam it back into something… It would most likely break. He had a large pillar in front of him. It would probably work. He shuffled the chair around until his back was facing the feature. He used momentum to send the wooden piece of furniture back. He heard the wood splinter just enough that he was able to wiggle his ankles out of their prison. He could move his wrists as well. They were still tied, but not to the chair. He hopped to the counter, grabbing a knife and cutting his bindings. 

 

He didn’t waste any time. He brandished the knife and headed toward the living room. He could hear talking. 

 

“He’s dead, you know. I killed him. Sliced his throat right open.” The voice spoke. He heard Mark’s heavy breathing.

 

“You’re fucking lying! He’s not… He… He can’t be…” Mark sounded broken. Sean felt his heartbreak. 

 

“You see this blood on this knife? It’s your dear friend.  _ Gone _ .” He now knew why the man had cut his cheek open. To get blood on his knife. To taunt Mark before killing him. To make him think Sean was  _ dead. _

 

“No…” Mark’s voice was quiet at that word. Sean took a deep breath. It was time, wasn’t it? He needed to go and save his friend. Whatever it took, he would save him. He opened his eyes, noticing a mirror across from him in the hall. He saw blood coming down his face. He saw determination in his eyes. He then glanced upwards for the first time.

 

He felt his heart nearly stop at his own number. He hadn’t braved looking at it. He knew he could. He always knew he could. But he never dared. He didn’t want to know. And now he did. He steadied himself, tightening his grip on the kitchen knife in his hand.

 

_ Whatever it takes _ . He leaped out of the shadows, tackling the man to the ground. 

 

“I told you to  _ leave him out of this _ !” Sean roared. He brought the hilt of the knife down, over and over again. There was blood coming from the man’s head. The man wasn’t fighting back. He would’ve thought he was dead if it were not for the ten years still blinking at him. Sean breathed heavily, pulling off of the man and running over to Mark. His friend had cuts over his face and exposed skin on his neck. He noticed holes in his shirt as well. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m… I’m fine.” Mark responded as his friend cut him out of his own bindings. “Are you? You’re bleeding.”

 

“And so are you.” Sean snarked right back. “I’m so glad I made it in time.” He hugged his friend tightly. Mark returned the gesture, before pulling back. He placed his hand on Sean’s jaw, cradling his head. The two met eyes. Sean wondered if Mark could see the sadness in his. He pulled out of his friend’s grip. “You need to find a phone. Call the cops. I’ll keep my eye on this guy here.” Mark’s eyes were wide. 

  
“Sean… Are you sure?” He hesitated. The blue-eyed man nodded, determined. “But…”

 

“Mark… I can’t see your number. You need to go. I can’t lose you.” Mark kept his eyes locked on his friend’s for a few moments. He must’ve sensed what was going on. He had to. “Go.” Mark nodded, finally leaving the room. Sean gripped his knife tightly, turning to the man behind him. He must’ve been waiting for Mark to leave the room. A hand came up, wiping blood away. 

 

“You are one goddamn idiot,  _ Sean _ …” The body rose from the ground. “It will be your downfall.” The knife was knocked from his hand. He was pinned to the ground. “You care too much about him… And not yourself. Don’t you know what happens to those kind of people?” Sean saw the glint of the man’s own knife reflect from the light of his floor lamp. “They  _ burn _ .” He brought his hand down, knife and all. Sean’s hands rushed to block it, but he was too late. 

 

He gasped as he felt the metal enter his stomach. It took a few seconds for the pain to even register in his brain. He looked up to see the evil in the man’s eyes. The satisfaction. He pulled his hand back, allowing the knife to remain in the poor man’s stomach. 

 

“And you know what I’m going to do now,  _ Sean _ ?” He spat out his name as if it disgusted him just to say it. “I’m going to  _ leave _ . I’m going to let your little boyfriend  _ Mark  _ and cops return to find your corpse bleeding into the carpet. Let them all wonder what could have been while I’m states away. This is all your fault,  _ Sean. _ You’re  _ weak _ .” 

 

He didn’t know he had it in him, really. He felt strength like no other fill him as he realized what he had to do. He gripped the knife’s hilt, the very one that was killing him. He couldn’t let it all be in vain. He had to stop this. The man had no idea what he was messing with. Sean smirked as he looked above the man’s head. Minutes.  _ Minutes  _ now. 

 

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not weak. I’m strong enough to beat you, after all.” The man expression showed only confusion. “I’m sick of all your monologuing, you sick fuck. I have better things to do with my time.” The bewilderment didn’t last long. 

 

Suddenly the knife in Sean’s stomach was in the man’s chest. The man gasped, stumbling back. He hit the wall with his back. With the knife’s placement, he must’ve hit close to his heart. 

 

“No… I’m… I’m supposed to leave…” He coughed. 

 

“Nope. I’m afraid you don’t have enough time for that.” Sean watched as his numbers trickled down to zero. For the first time, he was relieved to watch a countdown end. He breathed out.

 

It was over. It was really over. He closed his eyes with breath out.

  
Then, with a pang of pain, he remembered his current situation. He opened his eyes.  _ Fuck _ .

 

His hands went to his stomach, right around the time that Mark re-entered the room. It felt like he had been gone for forever, but it couldn’t have been more than two minutes. In two minutes everything seemed to happen. 

 

“ _ Sean _ ?!” Mark shouted, running over to his friend. “Oh god, nononono…” He pulled his flannel off, holding it over the profusely bleeding wound. The fabric was almost immediately soaked. “ _ Shit _ .” Sean saw tears began to flow. He was beginning to feel faint. ‘Shit’ indeed. He groaned. “You can’t do this, Sean. You’re supposed to be okay. I can’t do this without you. I can’t lose you.” Mark began to ramble. The wounded man reached his hand up to touch his friend’s cheek. 

 

“Mark… I lied to you.” He felt something wet dribbling out of the side of his mouth. He didn’t have to look to know it was blood. 

  
“What do you mean?” Mark was sweating. He was terrified. He still held the shirt to his friend’s stomach, fighting the losing fight.

 

“I told you… I told you I couldn’t see my own numbers. I lied.” He groaned at a wave of pain. “I just never looked. I couldn’t bear to know. I told you it’s bad to know your own numbers.” He coughed, feeling more wetness spewing from his lips. “But I know now.” He glanced across the room, spotting another mirror. He saw the numbers blinking above his own head. Mark followed his glance. “I knew before I even stepped in. Before I stopped him from hurting you.” 

 

“You…” Mark let out a sob. It couldn’t mean anything good. He knew. He knew what he was getting into, saving Mark. He did it anyway. 

 

“My time’s almost out, Mark.” He felt a tear escape his own eye. The pain was beginning to subside. He knew that it wasn’t a good sign. His friend sobbed. 

 

“N- _ no _ … I can’t lose you. I… I love you.” Sean felt a warmness fill him at the words. “I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you when we were watching that dumb fucking movie, but I chickened out and left instead.  _ Fuck _ .” He buried his head into his friend’s neck. Sean was beginning to feel clammy. 

 

“You… You know I l-love you too, right? Always ‘ave…” Sean’s eyes were beginning to unfocus. He glanced over to the mirror. Not long now. 

 

“You fucking idiot. You knew what saving me was going to do, and you still did it. Goddamnit!” He clenched his teeth. He took a free, bloody hand and brought it to Sean’s face. “You hold on, okay? They’re close, I can hear the sirens. You’re going to be okay…” The borders of Sean’s vision were beginning to darken. “Don’t leave me!” He didn’t dare glance to the mirror again. All he would see is his own countdown reach zero. He didn’t want that to be the last thing he saw. 

 

His eyes met Mark’s. The beautiful brown that both frightened and intrigued him from the day they met. He thought of the times they had together since; the closeness, the love of it all.

 

He closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

 

-

 

Mark stepped into the coffee shop. He had bags around his eyes. He ordered his usual, with Ashley offering him a sympathetic, sad smile. It had been two months since everything happened. The news spread fairly quickly- two local men taking down a serial killer. 

 

It was a big story for a while. The first time he came in since it happened, Ashley seemed to be his only confidant. She understood, somewhat. She dealt with the same man. 

 

He had a name, after everything came to light. Michael Wilson. One barista at that coffee shop had turned down his advances, and it turned into sadistic killings. 

 

But it was over. Thanks to the bravery of Mark’s best friend. He looked down to his hands. He knew his mind was playing tricks on him, but he could swear he still saw blood on them at times. He sighed. 

 

“You okay?” Ashley asked him as she handed him his coffee. 

 

“You know how it is… Nightmares kept me up again.” She nodded. “I just…” He sighed. He didn’t really feel comfortable sharing. “Nevermind.” The two locked eyes for just another moment before he spoke again. “I better get going. See you next time.” Ashley offered him a wave goodbye. 

 

The drive home was a lonely one. He was tempted to turn on the radio, but it didn’t seem right. He glanced over to his passenger seat where his camera laid.

 

He had made a vlog explaining what happened a couple days after it all had occurred. He explained that there would be a hiatus in videos for a while, while Mark recuperated. He had only glanced at the comments section, but from that glance he could tell that the response was mostly positive. 

 

They understood that he needed time. He needed time to absorb it all. He was still in shock, really. It was all so much. He hadn’t slept much since it all took place. 

 

He could never forget pointing at Michael’s body when the police entered, screaming for help. Screaming that his friend was dying; that the man had stabbed his best friend. The cops trying to pull him away from the body, telling him that his friend was dead. The ambulance following shortly behind, pulling Sean away and trying to revive him. 

 

He realized he was pulled into his spot at his apartment. He had to take a deep breath. It was a short drive. He could’ve easily walked to the shop, but he couldn’t just yet. He needed time. He needed to be  _ away _ . 

 

He got out of the car, cradling his drink in his hand as he ascended the stairs. He pulled out his keys and unlocked his door. He took off his shoes, placing his camera on the table as he walked past, and toward the bedroom. He laid on the bed, taking in the silence of his apartment. He was about to be trapped in his thoughts, when he heard footsteps.

 

“Hey. Are you thinking about stuff you shouldn’t be?” An Irish accent spoke to him, almost like a conscience. He huffed. 

 

“Of course not.” He glanced up to see Sean in all his glory, shirtless and a towel wrapped around his waist. The scar on his stomach was still a dark pink from the newness of it all. 

 

“I think you’re a liar.” Sean stepped closer to the bed, and Mark ran his hand along the rigid line. The stab that almost took everything away from him. 

 

“Nope.” Mark denied it still. Of course he was thinking about it. One doesn’t easily forget watching an emergency team try desperately to save your best friend, almost not being successful. He could still feel the fear of losing him, it was so fresh. They ended up getting a heartbeat and rushing him from the premises. It was a close call, but they were able to save him. Sean made it. 

 

“Are you really going to make me get down?” Mark nodded, scooting over. Sean tenderly got onto the bed. He was still stiff in his movements. He had to be careful; he would be dealing with the damage for a long time. “First you don’t get me a coffee, and then you make me do things…”

 

“You know the doctor says you need to lay off of the stuff for a while.” Mark wrapped his arms around Sean, content, despite the Irishman sassing him. They laid there together for a few moments in silence.   

 

The Irish man breathed out, feeling a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in years. Sure, he had almost lost his life… Technically, he  _ did  _ there for a second. But he had everything. 

 

“Stop it. I love you. I’m not going anywhere.” He spoke into Mark’s ear. He turned and placed a kiss on the other man’s lips. He really did have everything he wanted. 

 

He wasn’t afraid of the numbers anymore. He spent too much of his life afraid of them. He knew their purpose now. He was supposed to help people. He was meant for greater things. Death was just another part of life. At times, he could change it. But he accepted that at times, things just had to come to pass. 

 

And sometimes, things that were meant to come to pass never happen at all. 

 

He knew that Mark was up for a good portion of the night from a nightmare, and felt him begin to fall asleep. He smiled, scooting carefully from the other man’s arms to change into some actual clothes and out of his towel. He looked into the mirror, ready to face the day. The rest of his life, really. 

 

A zero blinked above his head. He smirked.

 

He had all the time in the world, now.


End file.
